Arianespace

Arianespace is a commercial launch services provider founded on 26 March 1980 as the world's first company of its kind, established when the European Space Agency entrusted production, marketing, and launch operations for Ariane vehicles to a private entity^[1]. The company is headquartered in Evry-Courcouronnes, France, and conducts launches from the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana^[2].

ArianeGroup, a joint venture of Airbus and Safran, holds 100% of Arianespace's capital^[3]. In a 2016 transaction, ArianeGroup (then Airbus Safran Launchers) acquired a 74% stake, with the remaining 26% held by European industrial and agency shareholders^[4].

Arianespace states that it currently operates Ariane 6 as its primary heavy-lift launcher, and that the vehicle's maiden flight took place on 9 July 2024^[2]. According to Arianespace, Ariane 5 was retired from service in 2023^[2]. Arianespace states that Vega-C commercial operations transferred to Avio starting in late 2025 and early 2026^[2], and that Soyuz-ST launches from Kourou have been suspended since 2022^[2]. Arianespace reports having conducted 355 missions and launched more than 1,100 satellites as of October 2025^[2]. According to an Arianespace and ArianeGroup announcement, David Cavailloles has served as CEO since January 2025, succeeding Stephane Israel^[5].